Indicating and operating mechanism



Jan. 15, 1935. J. E. SOONS INDICATING AND OPERATING MECHANISM s Shets-Sheet 1 Filed April 23, 1951 'INVENTOR James A. Jaams BY lY/s ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1935. SQQNS INDIGATING AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 23, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR J0me: Z J00;

BY s ATTORNEYS Jan. 15, 1935. J. E. SOONS 1,933,255

INDICATING AND OPERATING MECHANISM Filed April 25, 1951 5 sheets-sheet s .MHFHW INVENTOR Jomesfidaofls g BYh/s' ATTORNEYS M mal Patented Jan. 15, 1935 PATENT OFFICE INDICATING AND OPERATING MECHANISM .lames E. Soons. Yonkers,

man-Boom Electrical N.Y.,assigncrto and Engineering Corporation, New York,.N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 23. m1, Serial No. 532.11:

a cum. (c1. :s-us) This invention relates to new and useful apparatus and method ior reeling and unreeling devices and has especial reference to the provision of a simple and eiilcient device for indieating the amount of material on the roll.

, A main object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact, efficient and durable construction to be associated with material being rolled up or unrolled which will permit the operator of the device tov know when the proper amount of material has been wound on the reel or to know when the material has been suilicientLv unwound from a reel.

A fin-theiobject is to provide simple and emcient means whereby thewinding on or unwinding from a reel of material may be indicated automatically by means of a suitable signal, or may be controlled automatically by optical means activated at predetermined intervals to open and close circuits or to operate suitable gearing to thereby control the winding or unwinding.

A further object is to provide a simple and compact device which may be attached to a motion picture machine or a battery of machines such as projectors so that as the film in one projector becomes unwound to the proper point a signal is activated and suitable apparatus energized manually or automatically to stop the one machine and to start the other.

Further and more specific objects, features and advantages will more clearly appear irom'a consideration of the description hereinafter taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification and which illustrate a present preierred form of the invention.

The invention, briefly and when considered from a general viewpoint, comprises a device for reeling material or unreeling it with means, preferably optical, disposed in association therewith normally tending to throw a beam of light across the material which beam of light is in terrupted when more than a predetermined amount of material has wound up and is not interrupted when less than this amount is wound up. when the beam of light is not interrupted it falls on an indicating device such as a scale after passing through a suitable lens combination. The amount of material on the reel governs the amount of darkness or light beam on the scale, and thus the length of light beam on the scale is governed by the material on the reel. This beam falling on the scale illuminates graduations thereon, and it is desired to have the graduations calibrated in terms of the length of the material in the roll being wound or unwound. Associated with the indicator or scale there may be disposed a photosensitive device such as a selenium cell which receives light from said beam to activate relays to open or clou circuits whereby motors may be started or stopped or gearing may be energized, or suitable mechanical and electrical operations may be effected, as desired. The position'of this photo-sensitive cell with relation to the scale and the beam of light can be readily varied to make it responsive at any predetermined interval and with respect to any predetermined amount of material being wound or unwound.

The invention in a particular form is to be associated with the supply magazine of a motion picture projector so that the illm when it is being unwound and only a small predetermined amount of film is left on the reel, the indicating beam of light falling on the scale will at the proper point activate the photo-sensitive device to stop the particular projecting machine and to cflect the starting of another one having a full film reel. This operation is called a switch-over.

It is to be understood that while the invention may be particularly described in detail with respect to the reeling and unreeling of motion picture films, it is equally important and advan tageous with respect to the winding or unwinding of many other types of material similar to him such as paper, fabric, ribbon, and in fact any sheet material which may be rolled or us.- rolled and which may advantageously employ this invention for the purposes set forth.

The invention as to its present preferred form is illustrated in the drawings, of which:

Fig. l is a somewhat diagrammatic side eie vational view of a reel 0! material about to be unwound and associated with the improved indicating device;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the abovementioned reel substantially completely unrolled;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the indicating scale;

Fig. 5 is a view of a reel of material about to be started on a winding operation;

Fig. 8 shows said material when the winding operation is practically completed;

at a cl .on e scale Fig. 7 shows material being unwound with the indicating apparatus disposed to project the beam transversely across the reel;

Fix. 8 shows the same reel when it has been substantially completely unwound:

Fig. 9 shows the upper portion 01' a motion picture projector with the supply reel practically unwound at the instant when the switch=over is about to take place;

Fig. 10 shows another projector with a lull supply reel about to be started by the activation of the indicating and photo-sensitive device on the other projector: and

Fig. 11 is an end elevation of the upper portion of either one of the projectors shown in Figs. e and lo.

In Figs. 1 and 2 the general idea of the invention is shown semi-diagreticelly and in= volves a frame it which is edjustably supported through screw ll from a supmrt 12. This frame is associated with a roll 13 of suitable material and has dependent limbs 1d and 15 disposed on opite sides of the roll 13. On the limb 15 is a casing is a lens unit 17. i cos it is priwideo'i with slots is ltfliji 2c in its opposite i and preferably vertical to a vertical he on vertical strip of light if and when received tr the lamp is. ferahly, e. plate or ground 21' is disposed in a suitable t: in the-consent the lamp is. [in :sr or sale 22 having suitable erodestions 23 is we on an arm 24 time it the lb it. preferably disposed in heels attire-scale is a casing 25 containing a photo-sensitive device so as a seleni cell 26. -'lhis' -r Qdhes an m 27 therein to tlioht. This L m-Wm is posed hack of hole 2c is disw point alone the scale.

the is 28in the Considering the appcratus ated in Fig. i, it will he apparent that as the material is unw Sim "min". from lihQ FORE 13 them? come 2% l nhenthellshtiromthe "-01 is will he ahle to porn I across the top or the roll just tangent thereto. A3 shown in Fla. 2 light throueh the leusil d he refracted to-the m of the scale. However, as the so the decreeses'e greater width oi r wit? be alicwefi to 1,1.

the "lo m h the l l? and consequently the sheet on the scale 22 hot the or incnease..,verti w- Preferably, the graduations calibrated in terms of feet oi on the reel or roll, and the light a as it rises on the scale 1': iii indicate the iootase left on roll. The is calibrated so t the operator, therefore, i i the urban" footage. I I

, The hole as oi'the scale y be t any desired point along the scale to permit light to li -l5 lherethroush and to i'all on the photosensitive d'evice such as the selenium cell.

cell is connected to wires 29 and so which may he coted to any suitable. structure containing relays or, other devices to be associated to t gears, to start or stop a motor or to per iorm any other and. furtherdesired functions. One of the mainnses oi thedevice in the motion picture-industry is to stop the operation of a motion picture projection machine when substantially all of; the film has been unwound from the supp y reel. In-such use the wires 29 and 30 are connected to the. motor supply line indicating device as a unit, of course, may be adlooted by means of the screw 11 so that the beam will commence to be projected across to the indicating arm in the unreeling oi the material.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the same combination oi elements is employed-but in this operation it is employed to ation instead of an unwinding operation. As the material on the roll increases in diameter it will gradually and" increasingly intercept the wide beam of light until it reaches the point where the entirebeam is cut oil from the indi= cator. The hole in the scale opposite'th'e photosensitive devicecan at this instant be placed at the bottom oi the scale so tt the light is constantly at this hole until the material on the roll increases so as to cut ofi all the light.-

The electrical circuits and the 1 activated thereby are connected thereto and can he so arranged that as e light is cut 0d from the cell the. driving mech m of the roll can be stop or any other ded iunction achieved.

In Figs. 7 and 8 the indicating unit is dis.-

on opposite lateral sides. or the roll m as tend to project the Mom 1. r: ercely thereto parallel to the axis rather than at right les to the axis as heretofore descri 4 As shown in Figs. 9 and iuandll. there is illustrated aparticular immuof the invention in which is shown the projection head 33 of a motion picture 1t with the supply reel msganne so. On opte sides thereoi" henna on the indicator or e 39 grow in vertical height as the, 41 unwound to s on a point that the end of the picture is reached whereun the is height to pass in ililgh the aperture in the scale indicate the win oper- Fig. 9, the

and sdect the photo-sensitive device 40. This device may be connected in circuit in y desired manner well known in the art with suitchic relays ondswitches so as to stop the motor of the one machine on simultaneously start the xii ving the next no": therein suc asit shown inil 'ig.

I general operation, therefore, will auto- 1 and optically efiect a switchover from one machine to another in a battery of projection machines. The scales are calibrated nicely and accurately the handling of the film being projected such switch-over action may res. be eflectejd.

It is, ol'course, apparent that the lamp which projects the indicating beam on the scale and the lens unit in combination with the photoso that at. any desired point in sensitive device are shown projecting the beam the roll, this unit may be mounted righton the magazine of the motion picture projector. in whichcaseareelwithinthecanbe taken out through the top, if desired. Or on the other hand the scale or photo-sensitive device with thelens combination can be mounted at one side of the magazine and the beamproduclng lamp can be mounted on the other side on the door and swung therewith.

The invention will thus be seen to provide a simple. durable, compact. eiilcient indicating devicecomprising means for projecting a beam of light across a certain path to be intercepted by a body of material being wound or unwound and associated with a scale on which the beam falls so as to indicate the wound or unwound condition of the material. and is optically associated with a photo-sensitive device in some instances so as to operate a signal or to effect any desired motor or driving connections. The device is simple, compact, and requires substantially no adjustment or repair after it has once been set for the particular conditions of any one job, and in the case of motion picture work acts as a very eijicient and automatic switch-over device.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to a present preferred form thereof it is not to be limited to such details and forms since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modifications of the invention which may come within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

What is claimed, is:

1. In combination with a roll of material being wound or unwound. an adjustable frame associated therewith, a projection lamp on said frame disposed at one side of said roll, an indicating device on said frame disposed at the other side of said roll to receive light from said lamp, said frame adapted to be adjusted at predetermined levels with respect to the roll to cause indications to be made on said indicating device as the material on the roll achieves certain predetermined levels in its winding or unwinding travel, and a photo-sensitive device associated with said indicating device to be energized by impingement of light thereon to effect desired operations relating to the movement of the roll.

2. In a device for indicating the winding or unwinding condition of rolled material, means for projecting a beam of light across said roll, a scale on the opposite side of said roll to receive said light, said scale being calibrated in terms of footage of rolled material, said scale having an aperture therein at a predetermined point and a photo-sensitive device associated with said aperture to receive light and effect desired operations when energized by the impingement of light thereon.

3. In a device for indicating the winding or unwinding condition of rolled material. means for projecting a beam of light across said roll. a scale on the opposite side of said roll to receive said light, said scale being calibrated in terms of footage of rolled material, said scale having an aperture therein at a predetermined point and a photo-sensitive device associated with said aperture to receive light and eifect desired operations when energised by the impingement of light thereon, said scale being adjustably mounted relative to the light and photo-sensitive device. said light and said scale and said photo-sensitive device mounted for adjusting the level of these elements with respect to the rolled material.

JAMES I. BOOKS. 40 

